Comprehensive Review of HHSRS: What You Need to Know

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is a risk-based evaluation tool for assessing potential hazards in residential premises. Following a comprehensive review, several changes will be implemented to affect landlords, tenants, and local councils.

What is the HHSRS?

The HHSRS is a system in place to assess potential hazards in residential premises, covering a range of 29 potential hazards. The system evaluates the potential risk of harm to an occupier from their living environment and rates the seriousness of any hazard identified. The HHSRS does not set a minimum standard, so the categorisation of hazards was introduced.

What are the Key Changes?

Several key amendments have been recommended, including:

• Reducing the total number of assessed hazards from 29 to 21.
• The publication of new baselines that can be used to assess whether a property contains serious hazards.
• The publication of new statutory operating and enforcement guidance, case studies, and specific tailored guidance for all stakeholders.
• The recommendation of amalgamating the 'Fire' hazard with 'Explosions in Dwellings' to ensure the practical assessment of fire risks in tall buildings.

New Indicative Baselines

To simplify the system for landlords and tenants, the review has produced a checklist that can be used to make an initial assessment of a property. This is not a replacement for the entire risk assessment but an easier way to understand it. The property will likely be free from Category 1 hazards where these baselines are met.

Updated Guidance and Case Studies

The statutory HHSRS operating and enforcement guidance has been revised to facilitate local councils' effective use of the system and make it more accessible to non-experts. Additionally, new guidance has been developed specifically for tenants to understand the HHSRS better. A comprehensive set of new case studies has also been produced to illustrate the use of standards and to showcase high, medium, and low-risk scenarios.

Improvements for Local Councils and Property Professionals

To make the assessment process more efficient, the review has recommended a more straightforward way of banding the results of the HHSRS assessments. The study has also suggested a review of training requirements and competency frameworks for those enforcing HHSRS regulations. This aims to provide a consistent framework for undertaking and implementing HHSRS requirements.

What's Next?

New regulations are required to bring the conclusions of the HHSRS review into force. These will replace the existing rules that prescribe descriptions of hazards, the method for assessing their seriousness, and the manner and extent of inspections of residential premises. These regulations will be introduced after the conclusion of the Decent Homes Standard review.

This significant development will impact landlords, tenants, and local councils. The Guild of Residential Landlords will continue to offer advice and guidance as these reforms are implemented.